In an effort to help revitalize the nation’s civic culture, local veterans and residents of Cherokee will come together on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 11am at the Cherokee Veterans Memorial park for a public reading of the U.S. Constitution.
The event, which will feature the Jr. ROTC and students from Cherokee Central Schools, is one of the hundreds to be held on the same day in cities and towns all across the United States. Regionally, events are scheduled in Sylva, Cashiers and Fletcher as well.
An event organizer said, “This event and the hundreds like it across the country, is our way of expressing our respect for the importance of the nation’s following charter and its relevance today. This is a real grassroots effort, of ordinary Americans to show there are people who think the nation’s civic culture is important. Everyone should be familiar with the Constitution and what it says. It needs to be read aloud. Our hope is that this will lead to a renewed respect and a new tradition – an understanding that while the Declaration of Independence set us free, the Constitution keeps us free.”
The organizer also wished to express her appreciation to the members of the Steve Youngdeer American Legion Post and the VFW of Cherokee for their volunteer efforts to make this day successful. Appreciation was also noted for Rick Queen and the seamless integration of this event into the Healing Waters Program. Parts of the Constitution will be read in the Cherokee language by Marie Junaluska who serves as the Cherokee Language Interpreter for the EBCI Tribal Council.
Source: Ginny Jabrmarkt
